On "Bogland"
By Michael Rondello
A bog is wet, spongy ground with soil composed mainly of decayed vegetable matter (Dictionary.com). Bogs are also the main topic of Seamus Heaney’s bog poems which were inspired by the preserved bodies of people and animals found in many of the bogs in Ireland. One of the most famous of these “bog poems” is “Bogland” in which Ronald Tamplin says in his guide to Heaney’s work, “[The bog] preserves things from the past, the now extinct Great Irish Elk, hundred-year old butter, great firs” (Tamplin 6). The poem is structured like a bog, too, with short lines that make it look like it is drilling into the ground and with the way Heaney uncovers a new layer with each new stanza. Finally, the reader gets to the bottom of the poem and reads the last line, “The wet centre is bottomless,” and feels the immensity of the endless bog; it is also given through some of the lines in which the lightly stressed syllables cause the lines to just die out when read. All of these literary devices display Ireland as a time capsule, through the symbolism of the bog. But “Bogland” has many hidden paradoxes, making this poem hard to interpret because it contradicts itself so many different times. Through the portrayal of Ireland as a time capsule and the contradictions throughout the poem, Heaney displays the paradox of Ireland’s history: both lovely and dangerous.
When first looking at this poem, I saw how short the lines were and how vertically long it was and I thought this was strange. After reading it though, I understand why Heaney structured it this way; it alludes to the bog as a visual concept because the reader subconsciously feels like the poem is digging deeper and deeper. As each stanza describes more artifacts found in the bog, the poem itself gets goes further down metaphorically because it is written with layers. This means that the stanzas “stack” on each other so that the reader feels as though they are digging as he reads. The first couple stanzas describe Ireland’s terrain, the bogs, and one can picture this scene; then the bog is entered and the elk and butter are found. Obviously no one can get to the bottom of this poem, and this is enhanced by the syllables that are so lightly stressed that the lines die out that Alan Shapiro discusses in an essay of Heaney’s work. For example, “Melting and opening underfoot,” and “They’ll never dig coal here,” give the sense that no one can actually get that far down to see a particular bottom when read out loud (Shapiro). Therefore Heaney portrays Ireland as a time capsule; however, it is a symbol that can be paradoxical. Either way, Heaney is proud of Ireland’s history and one can tell he is patriotic from his works. The time capsule sense that is given in this poem is important to the theme because it starts to give the reader this feeling of the paradox and the question about what Ireland’s history actually is.
“Bogland” is also full of paradoxes; Heaney’s poetry often includes them and it provides a major theme for this particular poem. He uses both “encroaching” and “unfenced” to describe Ireland’s landscape and this definitely displays his idea for history being lovely and dangerous. Dangerous can be associated with encroaching and lovely with unfenced and there are many more examples to put this kind of analogy to. Another important one to make note of is when he talks about digging up the Great Irish Elk. After he first mentions it, he describes it as “an astounding crate full of air” coming out of the ground. This contradicts his first description of it because it is as if it isn’t even there. This is parallel to the history of Ireland because it can be absent if that is what people make of it; this is one of the reasons it can be dangerous. Also, this poem gives the same feeling as James Joyce’s short story, “The Dead,” gives about the past. Ireland has a history that needs to be embraced, but this could be a problem if everyone is caught up in it. In the first stanza, Heaney mentions that there are no prairies in Ireland, then talks about “pioneers keep striking / Inwards and downwards,” and this definitely shows how not to be trapped in the past. By becoming pioneers, the past can still be held on to but Ireland can move forward together as a country and not be dead. Going in and down explains Irish pride for the heritage being so rooted within itself (Molino 47).
In conclusion, the idea here is a balance between two extremes: moving forward while forgetting the past and clinging to Ireland’s rich history to stay put. The time capsule displays Ireland’s history in its actuality, showing how rich and deep it is even if it is narrow. The reader understands Heaney’s patriotism and that is the more obvious part of this poem because it then delves into these paradoxes with deeper meanings. Ireland’s history is both lovely and dangerous and the contradictions throughout keep bringing up this idea that it should be balanced. The paradoxical nature indicates this specific balance in more ways than one, because it can be non-existent or too existent. By sorting through these inconsistencies, the reader may grasp the concept of how one could achieve this balance of remembering the past but not holding on to it. As Helen Vendler says in her guide to Heaney’s work, “…the poet enters history willingly,” but that doesn’t mean he is imprisoned by it (Vendler 39). The best example is “The Dead” which I mentioned before, because so many artifacts that are preserved in the bog are dead and that isn’t the ideal situation. Heaney’s paradoxical writing shows us both sides because of his contradicting statements as mentioned before. When first reading this poem, the first impression given is that Ireland has this rich history, but that is all. Then on second look, going in deeper to the text, the reader discovers the ultimate paradox that Heaney creates, Ireland’s history. Heaney paints the picture of the bogland as a symbol for Ireland’s past: both lovely and dangerous.
When first looking at this poem, I saw how short the lines were and how vertically long it was and I thought this was strange. After reading it though, I understand why Heaney structured it this way; it alludes to the bog as a visual concept because the reader subconsciously feels like the poem is digging deeper and deeper. As each stanza describes more artifacts found in the bog, the poem itself gets goes further down metaphorically because it is written with layers. This means that the stanzas “stack” on each other so that the reader feels as though they are digging as he reads. The first couple stanzas describe Ireland’s terrain, the bogs, and one can picture this scene; then the bog is entered and the elk and butter are found. Obviously no one can get to the bottom of this poem, and this is enhanced by the syllables that are so lightly stressed that the lines die out that Alan Shapiro discusses in an essay of Heaney’s work. For example, “Melting and opening underfoot,” and “They’ll never dig coal here,” give the sense that no one can actually get that far down to see a particular bottom when read out loud (Shapiro). Therefore Heaney portrays Ireland as a time capsule; however, it is a symbol that can be paradoxical. Either way, Heaney is proud of Ireland’s history and one can tell he is patriotic from his works. The time capsule sense that is given in this poem is important to the theme because it starts to give the reader this feeling of the paradox and the question about what Ireland’s history actually is.
“Bogland” is also full of paradoxes; Heaney’s poetry often includes them and it provides a major theme for this particular poem. He uses both “encroaching” and “unfenced” to describe Ireland’s landscape and this definitely displays his idea for history being lovely and dangerous. Dangerous can be associated with encroaching and lovely with unfenced and there are many more examples to put this kind of analogy to. Another important one to make note of is when he talks about digging up the Great Irish Elk. After he first mentions it, he describes it as “an astounding crate full of air” coming out of the ground. This contradicts his first description of it because it is as if it isn’t even there. This is parallel to the history of Ireland because it can be absent if that is what people make of it; this is one of the reasons it can be dangerous. Also, this poem gives the same feeling as James Joyce’s short story, “The Dead,” gives about the past. Ireland has a history that needs to be embraced, but this could be a problem if everyone is caught up in it. In the first stanza, Heaney mentions that there are no prairies in Ireland, then talks about “pioneers keep striking / Inwards and downwards,” and this definitely shows how not to be trapped in the past. By becoming pioneers, the past can still be held on to but Ireland can move forward together as a country and not be dead. Going in and down explains Irish pride for the heritage being so rooted within itself (Molino 47).
In conclusion, the idea here is a balance between two extremes: moving forward while forgetting the past and clinging to Ireland’s rich history to stay put. The time capsule displays Ireland’s history in its actuality, showing how rich and deep it is even if it is narrow. The reader understands Heaney’s patriotism and that is the more obvious part of this poem because it then delves into these paradoxes with deeper meanings. Ireland’s history is both lovely and dangerous and the contradictions throughout keep bringing up this idea that it should be balanced. The paradoxical nature indicates this specific balance in more ways than one, because it can be non-existent or too existent. By sorting through these inconsistencies, the reader may grasp the concept of how one could achieve this balance of remembering the past but not holding on to it. As Helen Vendler says in her guide to Heaney’s work, “…the poet enters history willingly,” but that doesn’t mean he is imprisoned by it (Vendler 39). The best example is “The Dead” which I mentioned before, because so many artifacts that are preserved in the bog are dead and that isn’t the ideal situation. Heaney’s paradoxical writing shows us both sides because of his contradicting statements as mentioned before. When first reading this poem, the first impression given is that Ireland has this rich history, but that is all. Then on second look, going in deeper to the text, the reader discovers the ultimate paradox that Heaney creates, Ireland’s history. Heaney paints the picture of the bogland as a symbol for Ireland’s past: both lovely and dangerous.
Works Cited
"bog." Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 26 Nov. 2012.
<Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/bog>.
Molino, Michael R. Questioning Tradition, Language, and Myth: The Poetry of Seamus Heaney. Washington, D.C.: Catholic University of America, 1994. Print.
Shapiro, Alan. "Crossed Pieties [On the Early Poetry]." Critical Essays on Seamus Heaney. Ed. Robert F. Garratt. New York: G.K. Hall, 1995. 13-24. Print.
Tamplin, Ronald. Seamus Heaney. Milton Keynes England: Open UP, 1989. Print.
Vendler, Helen. Seamus Heaney. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 1998. Print.
<Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/bog>.
Molino, Michael R. Questioning Tradition, Language, and Myth: The Poetry of Seamus Heaney. Washington, D.C.: Catholic University of America, 1994. Print.
Shapiro, Alan. "Crossed Pieties [On the Early Poetry]." Critical Essays on Seamus Heaney. Ed. Robert F. Garratt. New York: G.K. Hall, 1995. 13-24. Print.
Tamplin, Ronald. Seamus Heaney. Milton Keynes England: Open UP, 1989. Print.
Vendler, Helen. Seamus Heaney. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 1998. Print.